Veterinary science and horses encompass the study and application of medical, surgical, and therapeutic practices to maintain and improve the health and welfare of equines. This field addresses a wide range of topics, including disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. Research in veterinary science for horses often involves understanding the pathophysiology of equine-specific diseases, developing advanced diagnostic techniques, and improving treatment protocols. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into the latest advancements and methodologies in equine healthcare.
Crevier-Denoix N, Falala S, Holden-Douilly L, Camus M, Martino J, Ravary-Plumioen B, Vergari C, Desquilbet L, Denoix JM, Chateau H, Pourcelot P.The relationship between track surface properties and limb kinematics is poorly understood. Hoof orientation within the track surface has never been quantified under training conditions. Previously described kinematic and dynamic differences between leading and trailing forelimbs at the canter poorly correlate with epidemiological data regarding injuries. Objective: To compare joint kinematics and hoof orientation in the leading and trailing forelimbs of horses cantering on turf and on a synthetic surface. Methods: Noninvasive experimental study. Methods: The right forelimb of 5 horses was equ...
Wójcik E, Smalec E.The SCE test is often used as a sensitive and reliable technique in the biomonitoring of genotoxicity of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. This study analysed the frequency of sister chromatid exchange in domestic horse chromosomes depending on the habitat and age of the analysed horses. The chromosome preparations were obtained from an in vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes stained using the FPG technique. Both the habitat and the age significantly influence SCE frequency. A higher SCE incidence was observed in horses that lived in a large urban agglomeration than in those from the...
Loncaric I, Künzel F, Licka T, Simhofer H, Spergser J, Rosengarten R.The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance, resistance gene patterns and genetic relatedness of a collection of Austrian methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from companion animals and horses. A total of 89 non-repetitive MRSA isolates collected during routine veterinary microbiological examinations from April 2004 to the end of 2012, and one isolate from 2013 were used for this study. The presence of mecA and other resistance genes was confirmed by PCR. Isolates were genotyped by spa typing, two multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat ana...
Barstow A, Pfau T, Bolt DM, Smith RK, Weller R.The ability to recognize lameness in the horse is an important skill for veterinary graduates; however, opportunities to develop this skill at the undergraduate level are limited. Computer-aided learning programs (CALs) have been successful in supplementing practical skills teaching. The aim of this study was to design and validate a CAL for the teaching of equine lameness recognition (CAL1). A control CAL was designed to simulate learning by experience (CAL2). Student volunteers were randomly assigned to either CAL and tested to establish their current ability to recognize lameness. Retesting...
Wang HH, Kung NY, Grant WE, Scanlan JC, Field HE.Zoonoses from wildlife threaten global public health. Hendra virus is one of several zoonotic viral diseases that have recently emerged from Pteropus species fruit-bats (flying-foxes). Most hypotheses regarding persistence of Hendra virus within flying-fox populations emphasize horizontal transmission within local populations (colonies) via urine and other secretions, and transmission among colonies via migration. As an alternative hypothesis, we explore the role of recrudescence in persistence of Hendra virus in flying-fox populations via computer simulation using a model that integrates publ...
Human movement scienceNovember 26, 2013
Volume 33 227-237 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2013.09.003
Münz A, Eckardt F, Witte K.In dressage riding the pelvis of the rider interacts with the horse physically. However, there is little information about the influence of riding skill on the interaction of the human pelvis with the horse. Therefore this paper aims to study the interaction between horse and rider in professional riders (PRO) and beginners (BEG). Twenty riders rode in walk, trot, and canter in an indoor riding hall with inertial sensors attached to their pelvis and to the horses' trunk. Statistical analysis of waveform parameters, qualitative interpretation of angle-angle plots, and cross-correlation of horse...
Riesenberg A, Feßler AT, Erol E, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Stamm I, Böse R, Heusinger A, Klarmann D, Werckenthin C, Schwarz S.The aim of this study was to determine the MICs of 32 antimicrobial agents for 200 isolates of Rhodococcus equi of animal origin by applying a recently described broth microdilution protocol, and to investigate isolates with distinctly elevated rifampicin MICs for the genetic basis of rifampicin resistance. Methods: The study included 200 R. equi isolates, including 160 isolates from horses and 40 isolates from other animal sources, from the USA and Europe. MIC testing of 32 antimicrobial agents or combinations thereof followed a recently published protocol. A novel PCR protocol for the joint ...
Nuñez CM, Adelman JS, Smith J, Gesquiere LR, Rubenstein DI.Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instabilit...
Kędzierski W, Cywińska A, Strzelec K, Kowalik S.Physical activity and stress both cause an increase in cortisol release ratio. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of saliva samples for the determination of cortisol concentrations indicating the work-load level in horses during race training. Twelve Purebred Arabian horses aged 3-5 years were studied during the routine training session. After the warm-up, the horses galloped on the 800 m sand track at a speed of 12.8 m/s. Three saliva samples, and three blood samples were collected from each horse. Both types of samples were taken at rest, immediately after return from the trac...
McD￮ LA, Esparza Gonzalez BP, Nino-Fong R, Aburto E.Autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used as a potential cell-based therapy in various animal and human diseases. Their differentiation capacity makes them useful as a novel strategy in the treatment of tissue injury in which the healing process is compromised or delayed. In horses, bone healing is slow, taking a minimum of 6-12 months. The osteogenic capacity of equine bone marrow and muscle MSCs mixed with fibrin glue or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as a scaffold is assessed. Bone production by the following groups was compared: Group 1, bone marrow (BM) MSCs in fibrin glue;...
Brocklehurst C, Weller R, Pfau T.Turning is commonly used as a diagnostic aid in equine lameness examinations. Forces experienced on the circle differ from those in a straight line, necessitating an inward lean of the body and asymmetric head/pelvic excursion, which are important parameters for lameness investigations. To better understand gait adaptations to lungeing in normal horses, the effect of turn direction on body lean in trot and in canter warrants further investigation. In this study, it was hypothesised that, on average and independent of gait, the observed body lean angle would be consistent with the ratio between...
Kung N, McLaughlin A, Taylor M, Moloney B, Wright T, Field H.Hendra virus is a highly pathogenic novel paramyxovirus causing sporadic fatal infection in horses and humans in Australia. Species of fruit-bats (genus Pteropus), commonly known as flying-foxes, are the natural host of the virus. We undertook a survey of horse owners in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia to assess the level of adoption of recommended risk management strategies and to identify impediments to adoption. Survey questionnaires were completed by 1431 respondents from the target states, and from a spectrum of industry sectors. Hendra virus knowledge varied with ...
Rossignol F, Vitte A, Boening J.To (1) report a modified transfixation pin cast technique, using dorsal recumbency for fracture reduction, distal positioning of the pins in the epiphysis and distal metaphysis, and a hybrid cast, combining plaster of Paris (POP) and fiberglass casting, and (2) report outcome in 11 adult horses. Methods: Case series. Methods: Adult horses (n = 11) with comminuted phalangeal fractures. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and positioned in dorsal recumbency. The phalangeal fracture was reduced by limb traction using a cable attached to the hoof. Screw fixation in lag fashion of fracture fragments ...
Hamond C, Martins G, Loureiro AP, Pestana C, Lawson-Ferreira R, Medeiros MA, Lilenbaum W.The aim of the present study was to consider the wide usage of urinary PCR as an increasingly useful tool for an accurate diagnosis of leptospirosis in livestock. A total of 512 adult animals (300 cattle, 138 horses, 59 goats and 15 pigs), from herds/flocks with reproductive problems in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was studied by serology and urinary PCR. From the 512 serum samples tested, 223 (43.5 %) were seroreactive (cattle: 45.6 %, horses: 41.3 %, goats: 34%and pigs: 60 %). PCR detected leptospiral DNA in 32.4 % (cattle: 21.6 %, horses: 36.2 %, goats: 77.4 % and pigs: 33.3 %. To our knowledge t...
Mendoza P, d'Anjou MA, Carmel EN, Fournier E, Mai W, Alexander K, Winter MD, Zwingenberger AL, Thrall DE, Theoret C.Understanding radiographic anatomy and the effects of varying patient and radiographic tube positioning on image quality can be a challenge for students. The purposes of this study were to develop and validate a novel technique for creating simulated radiographs using computed tomography (CT) datasets. A DICOM viewer (ORS Visual) plug-in was developed with the ability to move and deform cuboidal volumetric CT datasets, and to produce images simulating the effects of tube-patient-detector distance and angulation. Computed tomographic datasets were acquired from two dogs, one cat, and one horse....
Gutiérrez-Crespo B, Kircher PR, Carrera I.The aim of this study was to describe the appearance of the ligamentous structures of the occipitoatlantoaxial (OAA) region in the normal horse by 3 tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI images of the longitudinal odontoid ligament, tectorial membrane, dorsal and ventral atlantoaxial ligaments, dorsal atlantooccipital membrane with its reinforcing ligaments, and the lateral atlantooccipital ligaments of 10 horse cadavers were evaluated. All ligaments and membranes were identified in all planes, except for the lateral atlantooccipital ligament in the sagittal plane due to its cra...
Solé M, Santos R, Molina A, Galisteo A, Valera M.The possibility of using quantitative kinematic traits as indirect selection criteria for sport performance could be beneficial to perform an early genetic evaluation of the animals. The genetic parameters for objectively measured kinematic traits under field conditions have been estimated for the first time, in order to potentially use these traits as indicators of gait quality in future selection of the Lusitano breed. The repeatability within three different types of training (dressage, bullfighting and untrained) was also discussed. A total of 176 males (4 to 14 years old) were recorded at...
Gabay R, Rozen S, Samokovlisky A, Amor Y, Rosenfeld R, Kohen F, Amsterdam A, Berger P, Ben-Menahem D.CGβ subunits comprise a unique carboxyl-terminal peptide (CTP) that has multiple O-linked glycans and extends serum half-life of the protein. It has evolved by incorporating a previously untranslated region of the LHβ gene into the reading frame. Although CTP-like sequences are encrypted in the LHβ genes of several mammals, the CGβ subunit developed only in primates and equids. To study this restriction in evolution, we examined whether the cryptic CTP decoded from the bovine LHβ gene (boCTP) possesses key characteristics of the human (h) CGβ-CTP. The boCTP does not impede several crucia...
Janczarek I, Bereznowski A, Strzelec K.The aim of the study was to define the influence of the selected factors (gender, age, transportation time, riding distance and air temperature during the ride) on the cortisol secretion and finding a correlation between the hormone level and the horses' sport results (veterinary parameters and the ride route parameters). The research was performed on 38 Arabian pure breed horses taking part in the endurance rides. The cortisol level was measured with enzyme-immunological method in saliva samples, taken four times from each horse. In order to verify the differences between the mean results the...
The Journal of heredityNovember 8, 2013
Volume 105, Issue 2 163-172 doi: 10.1093/jhered/est075
McCoy AM, Schaefer R, Petersen JL, Morrell PL, Slamka MA, Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ, McCue ME.A dominantly inherited gain-of-function mutation in the glycogen synthase (GYS1) gene, resulting in excess skeletal muscle glycogen, has been identified in more than 30 horse breeds. This mutation is associated with the disease Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Type 1, yet persists at high frequency in some breeds. Under historical conditions of daily work and limited feed, excess muscle glycogen may have been advantageous, driving the increase in frequency of this allele. Fine-scale DNA sequencing in 80 horses and genotype assays in 279 horses revealed a paucity of haplotypes carrying th...
Li X, Buzzard P, Chen Y, Jiang X.Alleviating human-carnivore conflict is central to large carnivore conservation and is often of economic importance, where people coexist with carnivores. In this article, we report on the patterns of predation and economic losses from wild carnivores preying on livestock in three villages of northern Baima Xueshan Nature Reserve, northwest Yunnan during a 2-year period between January 2010 and December 2011. We analyzed claims from 149 households that 258 head of livestock were predated. Wolves (Canis lupus) were responsible for 79.1 % of livestock predation; Asiatic black bears (Selenarctos ...
Krueger K, Farmer K, Heinze J.Social learning is said to meet the demands of complex environments in which individuals compete over resources and cooperate to share resources. Horses (Equus caballus) were thought to lack social learning skills because they feed on homogenously distributed resources with few reasons for conflict. However, the horse's social environment is complex, which raises the possibility that its capacity for social transfer of feeding behaviour has been underestimated. We conducted a social learning experiment using 30 socially kept horses of different ages. Five horses, one from each group, were chos...
Tirosh-Levy S, Tatz A, Kelmer G.A 6-month-old Arabian filly escaped its handler while being led and slipped on pavement. The referring veterinarian recognized severe, soft tissue damage to the filly's lower jaw and referred the filly to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for surgical management. Blessure de dégantage mandibulaire chez une pouliche arabe. Une pouliche arabe âgée de 6 ans s’est échappée de son préposé pendant qu’il la menait et a glissé sur la chaussée. Le vétérinaire traitant a reconnu des dommages graves aux tissus mous de la mâchoire inférieure de la pouliche et a recommandé la pouliche à l...
Dougal K, de la Fuente G, Harris PA, Girdwood SE, Pinloche E, Newbold CJ.The horse has a rich and complex microbial community within its gastrointestinal tract that plays a central role in both health and disease. The horse receives much of its dietary energy through microbial hydrolysis and fermentation of fiber predominantly in the large intestine/hindgut. The presence of a possible core bacterial community in the equine large intestine was investigated in this study. Samples were taken from the terminal ileum and 7 regions of the large intestine from ten animals, DNA extracted and the V1-V2 regions of 16SrDNA 454-pyrosequenced. A specific group of OTUs clustered...
Foz Filho RP, Martin BW, Lima AR, Miglino MA.The parenchymal distribution of the splenic artery was studied in order to obtain anatomical basis for partial splenectomy. Thirty two spleens were studied, 26 spleens of healthy horses weighing 320 to 450 kg, aged 3 to 12 years and 6 spleens of fetus removed from slaughterhouse. The spleens were submitted to arteriography and scintigraphy in order to have their vascular pattern examined and compared to the external aspect of the organ aiming establish anatomo-surgical segments. All radiographs were photographed with a digital camera and the digital images were submitted to a measuring system ...
Bellone RR, Holl H, Setaluri V, Devi S, Maddodi N, Archer S, Sandmeyer L, Ludwig A, Foerster D, Pruvost M, Reissmann M, Bortfeldt R, Adelson DL....Leopard complex spotting is a group of white spotting patterns in horses caused by an incompletely dominant gene (LP) where homozygotes (LP/LP) are also affected with congenital stationary night blindness. Previous studies implicated Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel, Subfamily M, Member 1 (TRPM1) as the best candidate gene for both CSNB and LP. RNA-Seq data pinpointed a 1378 bp insertion in intron 1 of TRPM1 as the potential cause. This insertion, a long terminal repeat (LTR) of an endogenous retrovirus, was completely associated with LP, testing 511 horses (χ(2)=1022.00, p<<...
Earing JE, Hathaway MR, Sheaffer CC, Hetchler BP, Jacobson LD, Paulson JC, Martinson KL.Management strategies for horses with respiratory disease include soaking hay before feeding. Hay steaming is an alternative to this practice; however, little is known about its impact on forage nutritive values or intake. The objective was to determine the effect of steaming on forage nutritive value and intake by horses. Two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) mixed hays were evaluated: a low moldy (NM) and moderately moldy (MM) hay. Six mature horses were used in a 10 d crossover design. Three horses were assigned to each hay type and treatments were switched o...
Upjohn MM, Pfeiffer DU, Verheyen KL.There are an estimated 112 million Equidae (horses, donkeys, mules) in the developing world, providing essential resources for their owners' livelihoods and well-being. The impoverished situation of their owners and the often harsh conditions in which they work mean that the animals' welfare is a cause for concern. A number of equine non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operate within working equid communities providing veterinary care, education and training programmes aimed at improving equine welfare. However, there is little published information available that describes monitoring and ev...
Stewart F, Charleston B, Crossett B, Barker PJ, Allen WR.An apparently unique protein produced in large quantities by the endometrium of the mare which adheres to, or is incorporated into, the acellular capsule that surrounds the equine conceptus in early pregnancy, has been characterized and partially sequenced. It has a molecular mass of approximately 18 kDa on SDS-PAGE gels and is nonglycosylated as assessed by a sensitive carbohydrate detection kit. Comparison of its first 24 amino-terminal amino acids with all entries in the databases failed to show any significant identity with any other protein sequence. Secretion of the protein appears to be...
Felix K, Ferrándiz R, Einarsson R, Dreborg S.Some patients who are allergic to horses have reported that they can tolerate certain breeds, and the presence of breed-specific allergens has been suggested. Breeders and patients with asthma have claimed that Bashkir horses are nonallergenic. We used sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting to determine IgE-binding profiles of extracts of dander obtained from horses of several breeds. We found considerable inter-breed and within-breed variation but no breed-specific allergens. Danders from all breeds investigated contained the most important allergens, and ...
Bażanów BA, Chełmecka E, Romuk E, Stygar DM.Hucul and Arabian horses differ in the physiological constitution and exposition to environmental conditions. Oxidative stress plays a pathogenic role in many diseases and enables further injuries. The objective of this study was to compare the levels of enzymatic and nonenzymatic oxidative stress markers in Hucul horses living in seminatural conditions and in commercially handled Arabian horses. We tested the serum samples for total superoxide dismutase (total SOD), Cu-Zn-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), and Mn-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity; for lipofuscin (LPS), ceruloplasmi...
Back W, Barneveld A, Bruin G, Schamhardt HC, Hartman W.This study was conducted to identify objective criteria to select young horses with a good gait, which is a prerequisite for good performance in adult horses. The trot of 24 26-month-old Dutch Warmbloods, led on a loose shank, was subjectively scored by a judge and objectively assessed on a treadmill by using kinematic analysis equipment. It appeared that forelimb and hind limb stride and swing duration, scapula rotation, forelimb maximal fetlock extension, forelimb maximal retraction, hind limb maximal protraction, maximal stifle flexion, and maximal tarsal flexion significantly correlated wi...
Yovich JV, Gould DH, LeCouteur RA.The distribution and morphology of fibrous astrocytes in the cervical spinal cord of normal horses and horses with chronic compressive myelopathy were demonstrated using immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein. In the spinal cord from normal horses, astrocytes with stellate cell bodies and short processes were irregularly distributed in grey matter. In the white matter, their cell bodies were small and angular in areas adjacent to grey matter and larger and more stellate-shaped in the subpial area. Astrocyte processes were fine, and evenly distributed in a predominantl...
Mitchell CJ, Darsie RF, Monath TP, Sabattini MS, Daffner J.A large net trap was used to sample mosquito populations attracted to horses at three sites each in Santa Fe and Rio Negro Provinces, Argentina, during the austral summer of 1984. These provinces, as well as others in Argentina, were affected by a severe epizootic of western equine encephalitis (WEE) during 1982-83. Totals of 2,752 and 6,929 mosquitoes were collected in Santa Fe and Rio Negro Provinces during five and three trap nights, respectively. Culex mosquitoes of the subgenus Culex were predominant (45.8% of total) in the Santa Fe collections, although Aedes albifasciatus also was preva...
Pasquiet B, Biau S, Trébot Q, Debril JF, Durand F, Fradet L.Detecting fatigue during training sessions would help riders and trainers to optimize their training. It has been shown that fatigue could affect movement patterns. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are wearable sensors that measure linear accelerations and angular velocities, and can also provide orientation estimates. These sensors offer the possibility of a non-invasive and continuous monitoring of locomotion during training sessions. However, the indicators extracted from IMUs and their ability to show these locomotion changes are not known. The present study aims at defining which kinemat...
Focková V, Styková E, Simonová MP, Maďar M, Kačírová J, Lauková A.Bacteriocin-producing bacteria with probiotic character are known as nutritional supplements mainly for livestock. Among those beneficial bacteria we also found enterococci. Because the species strains Enterococcus mundtii also can produce bacteriocins, this study was focused on fecal strains E. mundtii from horses and their bioactivity with a view to their possible future use in breeding. Rectal removal from 47 horses (40 mares and 7 stallions), the Norik breed from Muráň were sampled in eastern Slovakia during November 2019 year. Horses age ranged from five months up to 23 years. Using MAL...
Beretta C, Fadini L, Stracciari JM, Montesissa C.Febantel and one of its main metabolites, febantel sulphoxide, are chemically modified to only a slight extent when incubated in vitro with sheep and cattle ruminal fluids; other major metabolites, fenbendazole and oxfendazole, are respectively, oxidized to oxfendazole and reduced to fenbendazole. Febantel is negligibly metabolized by hepatic cytosol fractions but microsome preparations effect more extensive metabolic transformations. Important differences in this respect were found between microsome preparations from rat, horse, pig, cattle, sheep, chicken and trout livers.
Monk CS, Hart KA, Berghaus RD, Norton NA, Moore PA, Myrna KE.To determine whether cortisol is present in equine tears at rest and during simulated stress and compare tear cortisol to serum free and total cortisol. Methods: Fourteen healthy adult horses were included. Paired tear total cortisol and serum total and free cortisol concentrations were measured with ELISA, chemiluminescent immunoassay, and ultrafiltration methodology, respectively, in 10 horses at rest once daily for five consecutive days. In an additional four horses, paired tear and serum samples were collected for cortisol measurement before and after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) sti...
Khalil AM, Murakami N, Kaseda Y.Jugular vein blood samples were collected from 23 young and sexual mature feral stallions to examine the relationship between plasma testosterone concentration and age, breeding season or harem size. Testosterone concentration increased with the age of the stallions until they formed their own harems, at about 4 to 6 years old. Seasonal variations in testosterone concentrations were observed, and found to be significantly higher (P<0.001) throughout the breeding season than non-breeding season, from 3 years of age. Testosterone levels were correlated with harem size for individual stallions...
Fleurance G, Duncan P, Fritz H, Gordon IJ, Grenier-Loustalot MF.The spatial heterogeneity of grasslands determines the abundance and quality of food resources for grazing animals. As plants mature, they increase in mass, which allows greater instantaneous intake rates, but the cell wall concentrations increase too, reducing diet quality. In ruminants, daily intake rates are often constrained by the time needed for the ingesta to pass through the rumen, which is influenced by the rate of digestion. It has been suggested that the digestive constraint should have much less effect on hindgut fermenters such as equids. Horses play an increasing role in the mana...
Rubin L, Oppegard C, Hindz HF.Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of varying the temporal distrbution of conditioning sessions on equine learning behavior. In the first experiment, 15 ponies were trained to clear a small hurdle in response to a buzzer in order to avoid a mild electric shock. Three treatments were used. One group received 10 learning trials daily, seven times a week; one group was trained in the same fashion two times a week and one group was trained once a week. The animals conditioned only once a week achieved a high level of performance in significantly fewer sessions than the ones conditi...
Bartolomé E, Menéndez-Buxadera A, Valera M, Cervantes I, Molina A.The purpose of this study was to study phenotypic plasticity ability for Show Jumping performance in horses according to age differences. For this study, 11 352 participations, belonging to 1085 horses grouped by age (4-, 5- or 6-year olds), were analysed. repeatability animal models (RAM) and multiple trait animal models (MTAM) were compared. RAM assumed the same covariance components for all age groups, whereas MTAM considered the results of every animal at every age group as different (but correlated) traits. The age, sex, starting order and training level were included as fixed effects. T...
Mendonça RS, Ringhofer M, Pinto P, Inoue S, Hirata S.In the rapidly expanding field of comparative thanatology, reports from a wide range of taxa suggest that some aspects of a concept of death may be shared by many non-human species. In horses, there are only a few anecdotal reports on behaviors toward dead conspecifics, mostly concerning domestic individuals. Here, we describe the case of a 2-month-old, free-ranging male foal that died around 12 h after being found severely injured due to a presumed wolf attack, focusing on other individuals' reactions to the dying foal. We also placed camera traps near horse carcasses to investigate reaction...
Khumsap S, Clayton HM, Lanovaz JL.The objectives of this study were to measure the effect of walking velocity on net joint moments and joint powers in the hindlimb during stance and to use the data to predict these variables at different walking velocities. Videographic and force data were collected synchronously from 5 sound horses walking over a force plate at a range of velocities. Force and kinematic data from 56 trials were combined using an inverse dynamic solution to determine net joint moments and joint powers. Analysis by simple regression and correlation (P or = 0.30, r > 0.50) showed that, in early stance, there...
Reeta Pösö A, Hyyppä S.To test whether, in horses, the concentration of muscle glycogen can be influenced by increasing the uptake of glucose into the muscle cells or by providing a gluconeogenic precursor, 9 trained half-bred riding horses performed on a treadmill a 1.5 h competition exercise test (CET). Each horse performed CET 3 times and 30 min after CET, each was given one of the following solutions: isotonic glucose-electrolyte (GE) solution, GE supplemented with 50 g leucine (GEL) to increase insulin secretion, or GE supplemented with 200 ml propionic acid (GEP), a gluconeogenic precursor. Administration of G...
Choi TLS, Kwok KY, Kwok WH, Tsoi YYK, Wong JKY, Wan TSM.Anabolic and androgenic steroids (AAS) are banned substances in both human and equine sports. They are often administered intramuscularly to horses in esterified forms for the purpose of extending their time of action. The authors' laboratory has previously reported an UHPLC/HRMS method using quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer in full scan and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mode for the detection of 48 AAS and/or their esters in horse hair. However, two injections were required due to the long duty cycle time. In this paper, an UHPLC/HRMS method using multiplexed targeted MS mode was de...
Cho HW, Shin S, Song KD, Park JW, Choi JY, Lee HK, Cho BW.The adrenergic receptor beta 2 (ADRB2) plays a role in various physiological responses of the muscle to exercise, such as contraction and relaxation. Given its important role in muscle function, we investigated the structure of the horse ADRB2 gene and its expression pattern after exercise to determine if it can serve as a putative biomarker for recovery. Evolutionary analyses using synonymous and non-synonymous mutation ratios, were compared with other species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken, dog, and cat), and revealed the occurrence of positive selection in the horse ADRB2...
Cawdell-Smith AJ, Pym RA, Verrall RG, Hohenhaus MA, Tribe A, Coleman GT, Bryden WL.Students in animal science and veterinary science at the University of Queensland (UQ) have similar introductory courses in animal handling in year 1 of their degree programs. Veterinary students take animal-handling instruction in farm and companion animals, whereas animal science students are instructed in handling farm animals, horses, and rodents. Veterinary students are introduced to rodents, and animal science students to dogs and cats, in subsequent years of the curriculum. Both cohorts receive additional training, with clinical emphasis for veterinary students in years 3, 4, and 5 of t...
Lewis N, Hinrichs K, Leese HJ, McGregor Argo C, Brison DR, Sturmey RG.The use of in vitro embryo production in the horse is increasing in clinical and research settings; however, protocols are yet to be optimised. Notably, the two most commonly used base media for in vitro maturation (IVM) supply glucose at markedly different concentrations: physiological (5.6 mM, M199) or supraphysiological (17 mM, DMEM/F-12). Exposure to high glucose has detrimental effects on oocytes and early embryos in many mammalian species, but the impact has not yet been examined in the horse. To address this, we compared the energy metabolism of equine COCs matured in M199-based maturat...
Choi I, Collante WR, Simmen RC, Simmen FA.Pig blastocysts exhibit a transient period of estrogen production at periimplantation, with a second, more sustained period of estrogen synthesis occurring in endometrium and placenta at later pregnancy. Previously we reported the isolation of cDNA clones encoding a novel isoform of cytochrome P450 aromatase (the terminal enzyme in the estrogen biosynthetic pathway) from porcine periimplantation blastocysts. The present study investigated pregnancy-associated expression, in blastocysts and maternal reproductive tract tissues of this and an additional mRNA transcript encoding a distinct P450 ar...
D'Silva C.Equine liver glutathione S-transferase has been shown to consist of two identical subunits of apparent Mr 25,500 and a pl of 8.9. Kinetic data at pH 6.5 with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as a substrate suggests a random rapid-equilibrium mechanism, which is supported by inhibition studies using glutathione analogues. S-(p-Bromobenzyl)glutathione and the corresponding N alpha-, CGlu- and CGly-substituted derivatives have been found, at pH 6.5, to be linear competitive inhibitors, with respect to GSH, of glutathione transferase. N-Acetylation of S-(p-bromobenzyl)glutathione decreases binding by 1...
Amit T, Dibner C, Barkey RJ.The present study was undertaken to identify and characterize the diversity and species distribution of soluble prolactin binding-protein (PRL-BP) and growth hormone-binding protein (PRL-BP) in mammalian milk. We previously divided mammalian serum GH-BP into four main groups and identified a GH-BP with shared lactogenic/somatogenic properties in rabbit, horse, dog, pig and cat (Type III species). Here we describe PRL-BP in milk of Type III species and show it is relatively conserved within the group, having similar characteristics in terms of binding affinity for hGH (0.74-5.5 x 10(10) M(-1)),...
Okamoto Y, Minami S, Matsuhashi A, Sashiwa H, Saimoto H, Shigemasa Y, Tanigawa T, Tanaka Y, Tokura S.The sponge-, cotton-, and flake-type remedies made of chitin (chitin-sponge, chitin-cotton, and chitin-flake, respectively), and non-woven fabric of polyester (NWF) composited with chitin (chitin-NWF) were applied to various types of trauma, abscess, surgical tissue defect and herniorrhaphy in 147 clinical cases including 72 dogs, 38 cows, 33 cats, 2 rabbits, one monkey and one horse. Chitin-sponge was applied in 30 cases as filling agent of surgical tissue defect, and in 25 cases of trauma, 31 cases of abscess as wound dressing or tissue defect filling agent. In 77 out of 86 cases (89.5%), go...
Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Hiney KM, Robison CI, Manfredi JM, Buskirk DD, Popovich JM.Circular exercise is used in many equestrian disciplines and this study aimed to determine if circle diameter impacts juvenile animal forelimb bone and joint health. On day 0, 24 calves at 9 weeks of age were assigned the following exercise treatments: small circle (12 m clockwise), large circle (18-m clockwise), treadmill, or non-exercised control. Exercise was initiated at 1.1−1.5 m/s for 5 min/d and increased 5 min weekly until reaching 30 min/d. On day 49, synovial fluid was collected from multiple joints, cartilage was collected from the proximal surface of fused third and fourth metaca...
Turkan F, Harbi Calimli M, Akgun A, Gulbagca F, Sen F.Benzimidazoles are antiparasitic drugs having an extensive application field like agriculture, medicine, and especially in veterinary medicine. In this study, we report the effect of some benzimidazole drugs such as ricobendazole (RBZ), thiabendazole (TBZ), albendazole (ALBA) and oxfendazole (OFZ) on glutathione s-transferase (GST) enzyme activity. The kinetics studies, IC and Ki values of the tested drugs on GSTs enzyme activity were investigated. The obtained ranking of IC values were found to be approximately RBZ (53.31 μM, r 0.9778) < OFZ (57.75 μM, r 0.9630) < ALBA (63.00 μM, r 0...
Martins HM, Almeida IF, Camacho CR, Santos SM, Costa JM, Bernardo FM.Fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2 (FB2), and overall mycotoxins feed contamination may cause several effects on crops production and animal health. The contamination occurred predominantly in corn and corn-based foods and feeds. Objective: This survey intends to provide the occurrence of fumonisins in swine and equine mixed feeds in Portugal, making an overview from 2007 to 2010. Methods: A total of 363 samples were analyzed, 258 from swine feed and 105 from horse feed with HPLC method. The detection limit was 50 μg/kg for FB1 and 100 μg/kg for FB2. Results: The overall results were 13% of FB...
Park DH, Plapp BV.The E and S isoenzymes of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase differ by 10 amino acid residues, but only the S isoenzyme is active on 3 beta-hydroxysteroids. This functional difference was correlated to the differences in structures of the isoenzymes by characterizing a series of chimeric enzymes, which could represent intermediates in the evolution of catalytic activity. Deletion of Asp-115 from the E isoenzyme created the E/D115 delta enzyme that is active on steroids. The deletion alters the substrate binding pocket by moving Leu-116, which sterically hinders binding of steroids in the E isoe...
Elroy NN, Rogers J, Mafi GG, VanOverbeke DL, Hartson SD, Ramanathan R.Our objectives were to determine the non-enzymatic metmyoglobin reduction properties of bovine, porcine, and equine myoglobins and to characterize the effects of pre-incubation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) with myoglobins on non-enzymatic metmyoglobin reduction in vitro. Purified bovine, porcine, and equine metmyoglobins (0.05 mM) were reduced at pH 5.6 and 7.4 in the presence or absence of HNE. Rates of metmyoglobin reduction were monitored by spectrophotometry, and myoglobin adducts were characterized by high-resolution mass-spectrometry. Results showed that the species origins of individual...
